Mussels, antiquities, and tear gas: Istanbul (not Constantinople)!

The circuitous journey from SE Asia to the US begins, aptly, where Asia and Europe literally meet across the Bosphorus strait: Istanbul (not Constantinople)!  What an amazing mix of history and modern, conservative and liberal, late-night and early-riser.  Between days of sightseeing and evenings dancing, I loved Istanbul.

The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is one of the oldest, and might be one of the coolest, buildings I've ever seen. Built as a cathedral in 537, the Hagia Sophia was later converted to a mosque via plastering over tile mosaics.  Thus, peeling a few layers of plaster reveals an entire different decor--it's like a Russian doll building!  This makes history accessible and dynamic, as the building's, and Istanbul's (was Constantinople's), timeline is laid bare in tile, plaster, and paint. 

While I was in Istanbul, protests were occurring due to a mining incident that left 100s of miners dead.  Many countries I've visited had political demonstrations, and while I usually learn about the issues, I steer clear of the activities for safety reasons. Case in point: in Phnom Penh, protesting garment-workers seeking higher wages were killed by police while I was there (and I'll likely remember this every time I see, 'Hecho in Cambodia').  However, the Istanbul protesters brought the fight straight to the tourist areas and thus, I have experienced tear gas...but I  blame the authorities for that.
   

But I've got a feeling, that tonight's gonna be a good night, because this town parties in a way that makes America feel like amateur hour!  After dancing on tightly-packed floors in rooftop bars under the moon, we'd walk home at 3am down streets full of performers, vendors, and lucid versus vomiting people.  This night culture invigorated me, so I stopped at a steamed mussel vendor, and I had to agree with the pub crawl host:  mussels from the seas surrounding Istanbul are the best.  They are steamed and savory, full of rice and the mussel--but, how does getting the rice inside work?  That's nobody's business but the Turks.